British military prepare for jungle warfare

Harsh lessons learned by British soldiers as they fought the Japanese in one of the world's toughest environments are still being taught today, 70 years later.

The temperate climate of Britain means training for jungle warfare is done thousands of kilometers away, Britain's Ministry of Defense revealed as the country prepares to mark the 70th anniversary on Aug. 15 of VJ Day.

The British were ill-prepared for fighting against the Japanese in Burma and Malaya in a harsh battleground.

An MoD spokesman in London commented: "In the early stages of WW2 the Allied Forces learned the lessons of the jungle the hard way, suffering defeats in 1941/42. With few exceptions, the allies initially thought the jungle was impenetrable and could be disregarded for manoeuvre."

By 1944, there had been a complete review of British jungle tactics. Once the allies' fighting force in the Far East was trained in bush warfare, the situation in Burma began to swing back in favor of the British.

Those tactics are still taught to soldiers today by a British Army Training Team in Brunei, preparing soldiers to fight in the harshest of climates.

The British army officer commanding the jungle warfare training unit in Brunei, Major Arran Wade, said: "Training Team Brunei was formed out of the ashes of the battles fought against the Japanese in Burma and Malaya during the Second World War.

"It was proved that well-trained, mentally and physically robust British soldiers could function and fight just as well as any foe in this claustrophobic and exhausting environment.

"At the heart of operating in the jungle is understanding how to live in the bush, and as much today as it was in the Second World War, it is a skill that has to be learned.

"Soldiers have to pay strict attention to their health and hygiene, be prepared to carry heavy loads for long periods and cope with animal, insect and vegetation hazards.

"The obstacles are many - rivers with flash floods, swamps, falling trees and dangerous wildlife - and the climate is hot, humid and wet."

One of the soldiers who experienced jungle warfare was retired officer Lieutenant Colonel J. P. Cross. He served in the British military between 1943 and 1982 and was the last commandant of the Jungle Warfare School in Malaya.

Cross said in an MoD interview: "It is a litany of sounds and a dictionary of sights, a state of permanent semi-twilight, gloomy even when sunshine does dapple the jungle floor with shadows.

"It is a state of permanent dampness, rain or sweat, of stifling, windless heat, of dirty clothes, of smelly bodies, of heavy loads, of cocked and loaded weapons, of tensed reflexes, of inaccurate maps, of constant vigilance, of tired limbs, of sore shoulders where equipment straps have bitten in... It is a challenge. It can never be taken for granted."